Precooler for refrigerator cars



1929- J. D. HUSTON- I 1,736,788

PRECOOLER FOR REFRIGERATOR CARS Filed Aug. 5, 1926 Patented Nov. 26,1929 imrrau STATES 'i nane STAMES D. HUS'I'ON, OF IMPERIAL, CALIFORNIAEREGOOLER FOR REFRIGERATOR CARS Application. filed August 5, i826.Serial No. 127,268.

The primary'object of my invention is to provide simple and efiectiveportable means for quickly reducing the temperature of perishableproduceand other lading subsequent to loading into a refrigerator car andprevious to starting the car on its journey. This initial cooling can beaccomplished inefliciently by the use of ice in the ice bunkers in theusual manner, provided sufficient time is allowed. This initial cooling,however, is too slow for eficient results in making long hauls, due tothe inherent heat inthe lading.

My improvement provides portable means which may be quickly installed inand removed from the car after loading and before starting the car onits journey and employed to effectively augment the circulation of airthrough the ice bunkers and lading chamber and consequent cooling efiectof the ice in the bunkers upon the lading. In this manner the lading isquickly and efi'ectively reduced in temperature throughout the entireload,

which low temperature is easily and continuously maintained by the icein the bunkers after discontinuing the operation of my provement. v

My invention further comprises the features of construction andcombination of parts hereinafter described and claimed.

In the accompanying drawing forming part of this specification, Fig. lis a side elevation partly in central longitudinal section of arefrigeration car showing my invention installed therein; Fig. 2 is asection taken on the line 22 of Fig. 1, and'Fig. 3 is a side elevationof the blower and truck removed from the car.

In the drawing, A indicates the body of a refrigerator car having theusual end ice bunkers or chambers B and C in its opposite ends and thedoorway D in its median portion. Each ice bunker'is of usualconstruction and as shown has the ice basket struc- -tu're 12 therein,the bunker wall 10, ice grate 11, cold air egress passage H, return airin gress passage I, extending across the upper portion of the bunkerwall in the usual manner and hatchwa s 6. The ice, bunkers or chambers Band are thus each open at their upper and lower ends, through passages Iand H, into the central or storage chamber of the car.

This structure described is adapted to receive and hold the lading J inthe load receiving chamber or body, said lading consisting of crates orother packages to be transported. These packages are stacked on floorracks 3 on the floor partway up towards the ceiling in the usual manner,leaving a space in the center of the car' andabove the lading so'thatair may circulate freely down through and around the ice 8, in the icebunkers, out through the cold air egress passages H, upwardly throughand around the lading and to the median portion between the ends of thecar and the air of warmest temperature assing back from the u perportion of the ody into the bunkers t rough passages L This actiontranspires in the usual manner while the car is in transit and while thebunkers contain ice. This operationwith the use of the ice bunkers asdescribed is capable only of slowly reducing the temperature of thelading, the time consumed rendering the apparatus uneconomi'cal andineflicie'nt for initial cooling or per-cooling 9f the car afterloading, the inherent heat in the fruit or other perishable, ladingbeing suflicient to retard ordinary cooling and eventually preventingthe most effective transportation of the lading over long distances.

' M improvement provides means for quickly and economically'pre-coolingthe lading after loading into the car and before starting the car onitsjourney. This is accomplished by placing a rotary blower 15, ofcomparatively large capacity, between the stacks of lading J ,1n'thecar; said blower being. mounted upon a truck or carriage means 17',which is easil wheeled intoand out of the car anddriven y an electricmotor 14:, said motor being supplied with operating current from anexternal source. The air inlet of this blower is provided with aningress orinlet duct 16, opening upwardly so as to conduct air of thewarmest temperature in the upper portion of the lading chamber into theblower. The airv egress-or outlet duct 13,

leading from the'bloweris bifurcated and connected by branches orconduits 16, ex-

tending over the lading to the air ingress passages I, of the icebunkers. The connections between the ends of the branches 16, and theing provided with a tubular member, as

shown, for connection of the branch or conduit 16 thereto.

When the blower is driven and while the doors of the car are closed, thecirculation of air downwardly through and around the ice in the icebunkers and upwardly through, around and in contact with the lading inthe car is accelerated, thus quickly cooling the lading. Afterpre-cooling, the blower and its connections are removed from the car andthe ordinary cooling of the lading by ice in the ice bunkers continues.During pre-cooling under the influence of the blower, a lowertemperature is produced by the use of salt on the ice in the bunkers. Itwill be understood that after the blower and truck or carriage means 17are removed, suitable brac ing means may be placed between the stacks oflading at the opposite sides of the space thus left, in order to holdthe same in position.

Various modifications in construction of my invention are contemplatedwithin the spirit thereof and of the claims following.

Having described my invention what I claim as new and desire to secureby Letters Patent is:

1. An apparatus for precooling a refrigerator car having ice bunkers inthe opposite ends of ,its body, comprising a portable blower temporarilysituated inside the median portion of the car having an air ingress ductextending downwardly thereinto from a position connecting with the upperportion of the provision chamber and an air egress duct detachablyconnected with the upper portions of the ice bunkers, said ducts beingadapted to conduct chilled air received from the lower portions .of theice bunkers upwardly through and around the lading and into the blowerand assist in returning air of higher temperature in the car back intothe upper portions of the ice bunkers.

2. An'apparatus for precooling a refrigerator car having ice bunkers inthe opposite ends of its body, said ice bunkers having air ingressopenings in their upper portions, comprising air spreaders detachablyconnected over said ingress openings, a portable blower temporarilysituated inside the median portion of the car having an air ingress ductextending downwardly thereinto from a position to receive air from theupper portion of the provision chamber and an air egress duct detachablyconnected with said spreaders and the outlet of said blower, said blowerand ducts being adapted to conduct chilled air received from the lowerportions of the ice bunkers upwardly through and around the lading backinto the upper portions of the ice bunkers.

3. An apparatus for precooling a refrigerator car having ice bunkers inthe opposite ends of the car body, said ice bunkers having air ingressopenings in their upper portions, comprising air spreaders over saidingress openings, a portable blower temporarily situated inside themedian portion of the car having an ingress duct extending downwardlythereinto from a position to receive air from the upper portion of theprovision chamber and an air egress duct provided with branchesdetachably connected with said spreaders, said ingress duct beingadapted to draw chilled air received from the lower portions of the icebunkers upwardly through and around the lading and into the blower andsaid branches being adapted to return air of the warmest temperature inthe car received into the blower back into the upper portions of the icebunkers.

4. A device for precooling produce in a refrigerator car having an icechamber at one end opening into the car both at top and bottom,comprising a portable blower adapted to be set inside the car, an outletconduit from the blower adapted to lead to the top opening of the icechamber, and an upwardly opening intake pipe for ,the blower.

5. A device for precooling produce in a refrigerator car having an icechamber at one end opening into the car both at top and bottom,comprising a portable truck to rest on the floor of the car, a blowermounted on the truck, a motor connected to the blower and also mountedon the truck, an outlet pipe projecting upwardly from the blower, aclosure member adapted to close the upper chamber opening, a tubularmember connected to the closure adapted to project outwardly of the icechamber, and a conduit member arranged for detachable connection to theoutlet pipe and tubular member.

6. A device for precooling produce in a refrigerator car having icechambers at both ends opening into the car both at top and bottom,comprising a blower adapted to be set on the floor of the car centrallyof its length, an outlet pipe from the blower, opposed longitudinallyextending conduits adapted to lead from said pipe to the upper openingsof the ice chambers, and a single upwardly projecting intake pipe forthe,

blower.

7. A device for precooling a refrigerator car having an ice chamber atone endopening into the car both at top and bottom comprising a bloweradapted to be removably disposed within the car, and conduit means fromthe discharge of the blower adapted to removably extend to the topopening. of the ice chamber; the intake of the blower opening into thecar.

8. A device for precooling a refrigerator car having an ice chamber atone end opening into the car both at top and bottom comprising a bloweradapted to be removably disposed within the car, said blower havingintake and discharge openings, and conduit means from one of said bloweropenings adapted to removably extend to one of sand ice chamberopenings. 7

- JAMES D. HUSTON.

